Daghdha & Circa lose Arts Council funding

Daghdha Dance Company is the latest institution to be hit by cuts to the arts sector in Ireland. Following on from gradual cuts in recent years, the Arts Council of Ireland has withdrawn all funding from Daghdha, leaving the company with no choice but to close down.

The Limerick based dance company has been a purveyor of contemporary choreography and dance since it was first founded in 1988 and is widely seen as one of Europe’s most progressive dance organisations.

History of Daghdha:

1988: Founded in Limerick by Mary Nunan and Teresa Leahy

2003: Current Artistic Director Michael Klien joins the team.

2011: After a funding cut in 2009, the Arts Council withdraws all funding of Daghdah Dance.

In a personal statement posted on Facebook on today, the company’s artistic director Michael Kliën said, “Daghdha has been dancing differently for 23 years. In 2007 Daghdha became the best-funded dance organisation in the history of the Irish state. However, as The Irish Times put it, ‘Daghdha went from favourite child to misfit’ in just four years, with a subsequent 100% funding loss in 2011. We know this cut to be unjust.”

Kliën went on to thank all of the supporters, contributors and people who funded the company over the past eight years.

Arts magazine Circa has also announced that it is to close following the decision by the Arts Council not to continue funding it. It is likely that the magazine will disappear after its March edition.

The Belfast founded magazine has been the stalwart of arts criticism in Ireland since 1981 but, after an arts council cut of 56% last year, it was forced give up its print copy magazine and focus solely on online publishing.

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland had co-funded the magazine and it is not yet clear whether they will continue to do so. A decision on this matter is expected soon.